Alejandro
Albor

Cycling

Alejandro Albor was invited to join the USA Cycling Elite Team in April 2003 and since then has raced in numerous international competitions. After four years of dedication and training, Albor won silver and bronze medals at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China.

Albor was born in Tzintzimeo, a little town in the state of Michocan, Mexico. He grew up living with various relatives, as his father labored in America and his mother worked cleaning houses for wealthy families. At the age of 15, he and his family relocated to the United States.

His family wanted him to continue working the fields, but Albor decided to hitch a ride and enroll himself in high school and play on the soccer team. At the age of 18, though, disillusioned by his struggles in the U.S., Albor took his father’s car and headed towards Mexico. In a split second decision, he decided to take his own life, slamming the car into a moving train. As a result of the accident, Albor lost both his legs above the knee. Following his rehabilitation, he went back to school to graduate with his high school class.

Albor continued to see himself as an athlete and went on to pursue athletics. He learned to play wheelchair basketball, spent time kayaking and he designed and built his own handcycle. He earned a college degree in airframe and power plants and worked for the Army Corps of Engineers.

Albor currently runs his own business, A-WON HandCycles, building low-cost handcycles for people who do not have the financial means to pay for the costly ones on the market. He is happily married and has three children. He always strives to help out others, telling them not to take anything for granted.